The amount of blood, sweat and tears -- not to mention vomit -- required at the NHL combine is no drop in the bucket.

Just ask Ryan White.

The gritty Calgary Hitmen centre was one of the NHL Entry Draft hopefuls who was pushed past the point of complete exhaustion by the gruelling tests a couple of weeks ago.

A number of the youngsters were shown on TV with their heads at the bottom of a garbage can.

"Yeah, I was one of those guys," White admitted yesterday prior to boarding a Winnipeg plane bound for Vancouver, where the draft will be held this Saturday. "It's a really hard test. A lot of guys were feeling light-headed. But I got over it and it was a good experience."

The 6-ft., 190-lb. Brandon, Man., product isn't sure where he'll end up being selected in the draft.

The Central Scouting Service has White ranked 27th among North American skaters.

He's pegged to go 36th overall by the International Scouting Service, while The Hockey News has him rated 18th overall.

Whether it's the first or second round, the 18-year-old doesn't really care.

"I don't really have any expectation," he said. "I want to go to a team that likes me where I have an opportunity to play in their system."

White, who tied for the team lead in scoring during the regular season (20 goals and 53 points), will have a large cheering section at GM Place this weekend.

"My parents are flying out," he said.

"My grandpa and grandma are coming. My aunt and uncle live in Penticton so they're going to meet us in Vancouver.

"I'm trying not to get too excited. I just want to enjoy it and see what happens."